Anne Rice needed an editor. The Witching Hour is the first in a trilogy about The Mayfair Witches and it’s a decidedly delicious romp through New Orleans. After 900 pages, however, she’s only just getting started. If you’ve ever read 900 pages only to be left with a veritable cliffhanger, you know it’s incredibly frustrating. Rice’s narrative is absolutely sprawling, covering three continents and nearly four centuries of family history. You won’t want to put it down, not only because the story is enthralling, but because you’ll be worried about forgetting one of the dozens of central character’s names. The Witching Hour is two distinct books: one set in present day 1990s wrapped around a series of journal entries slowly winding through hundreds of years of Mayfair history. There’s magic, but maybe not enough for those readers looking for a truly Witchy narrative. Rice is abstract to the point of being obtuse, but throws in enough guilty pleasure to keep you on your toes.
I recommend The Witching Hour to fans of intense supernatural romance with the caveat that it is too long and only the first in a trilogy. It’s dark, weird, sexy, and at times problematic, but overall The Witching Hour was dramatic, well written, and worth it.
The Ohioan 